Recent Articles in Tip/Quote of the Day!

"A horse with good foot work will rarely fall. A horse who is not given the chance to practice that footwork because he is always brought to the right spot will come big time unstuck when the s*** hits the fan and the fallible human on top gets it wrong."  ~ Lucinda Green

"The horse must collect as a result of many transitions, not because the rider’s hands have asked for collection. Lots of transitions – that is what gets the horse’s hind legs underneath him." ~ Christoph Hess

"I make my students ride in gallop position in trot and canter with no rein contact and no hands on the neck, as there is no point in trying to progress until a good balance is in place. It is a great concern to me that so many riders are out of balance between fences, and then too stiff and upright on the approach to the fence" ~ William Fox Pitt

Generally, the slower you are approaching a jump, the more leg you may need to apply in the final strides.

"One of the goals of dressage is to recreate the natural beauty of the horse’s gaits under the rider, so that the horse moves as beautifully under the weight of the rider as he does at liberty. In order to achieve this, the swinging of the horse’s back has to pass through the seat of the rider undiminished. The back has to be able to rise and fall with the same ease, regardless of the rider’s presence. If the rider merely sits passively, his weight alone can sometimes be enough to diminish the freedom of movement of the horse’s back. In these moments, the rider has to enhance the upswing of the horse’s back with an active contraction of his abdominal muscles, which helps the rider’s pelvis to swing more forward-upward, without tilting forward, however." ~ Thomas Ritter

Always introduce new exercises in a slow and progressive manner, so you are building confidence and not inviting problems.

For success in learning to ride, as with most things in life - talk less and listen more.

Always finish an exercise with a proper transition to walk, don't just fall into a heap.

Think of riding your downward transitions in an uphill manner, so that the horse’s poll comes up as his croup lowers and his hind legs come under his body.

Always keep your spine stretched upward when riding. When you slump, your head and shoulders will become heavy, and your horse will likely become heavy in your hands.

Always finish each ride on a good note. Do something your horse does well so he can feel good about himself.

An anxious horse will tend to not be able to hear your aids, as his nerves will override them. Your first goal needs to be to get your horse to relax.

"Think of using your skeleton to turn your horse, not your muscles." ~ Catherine Haddad 

This idea may not "click" with everyone, but I think it will help many to better use their body without negative tension in the muscle, which only causes resistance in the horse. 

Don't confuse being left behind over a jump with a defensive seat on cross country. They are very different. The rider who is in a defensive position on cross country is a nickel behind the motion, while still not interfering with the horse in any way. The rider who is left behind is catching the horse in the mouth and slamming their backs on landing, both the ultimate punishment for the horse jumping the fence. If you are getting left behind often, it may be time to move down a level and work on your basics.

"Horses don't WANT to jump badly! They jump badly because of US! Ever seen a horse get loose in a steeplechase? It jumps like a BIRD!" ~ Jimmy Wofford

Interval training is one of the safest ways to develop the horse's ability to do more work over longer periods of time, as it helps to prevent fatigue and a build up of lactic acid in the muscles.

"If a horse becomes more beautiful in the course of his work, it is a sign that the training principles are correct." ~ Colonel Podhajsky

It is much easier to keep your horse forward and straight when you are looking up and in the direction that you want to go! 

"Boldness comes from confidence, and confidence comes from success. So it's the trainer's job to create lots of success." ~ Jack Le Goff

"Expressive and relaxed collected work shows that the rider has understood the steps that led up to it." ~ Klaus Balkenhol

Rhythm is the key to success in ALL riding disciplines.

"In the last few strides there should be a transfer of responsibility for the jump from the rider to the horse." ~ Eric Smiley 

Horses are often so quick to bend their necks (which is one of the most flexible areas in the horse's body) in response to the rider's request to either flex laterally at the poll, or to bend in the body. Make sure you have sufficient connection on the outside rein with either request to keep your horse's neck straight.

If you don't have forward, you won't be able to achieve a true half halt. And without an effective half halt, it will be hard to improve the horse's balance. 

"In flying change training, the horse is ready when counter canter is firmly established and horse can easily perform correct simple changes. If the horse offers a flying change early don't punish him. 'What a child knows, it knows'" ~ Reiner Klimke

Using a volte (a 6, 8, or 10 meter circle) before a lateral exercise like a shoulder in, haunches in, or half pass allows you to establish the bend for those movements even before you begin them.

Varying the degree of your half pass can improve your horse’s suppleness from all angles, as well as increasing his responsiveness to your aids within the movement. In other words, while going in half pass across the diagonal, half halt, and do a few strides with a steeper angle (more sideways than forward), then go forward again.

A horse can become unresponsive to the aids within a single ride - if you allow it to happen. 

Both horse and rider should learn to love that deep takeoff spot. If either one is not truly comfortable there, the pair will be at increased risk of falls or refusals.

Practice your two point position.

If you want to have a really solid position over jumps, practice it a lot. 

Always keep your spine stretched upward when riding. When you slump, your head and shoulders will become "heavy", and your horse will likely become heavy in your hands.

If you do all of your training on the exact same kind of footing, i.e. either all firm ground, or all sand - you might be putting your horse at an increased risk of possible injury. Training on a variety of different surfaces will develop both the strength and the elasticity of tendons and ligaments, which will help to prevent injury.

You must train your horse to understand that he should stay at whatever speed you put him in until told otherwise. Remember that every time you allow your horse to make a decision about his speed or energy level (or you don't realize that he has done so), you are training him to make these decisions on his own.

Nearly every rider will experience plateaus in their training. Only those that have the patience to keep a good attitude while pushing through them will ever get there.